William Bennett Turner practiced law for 45 years. As a San Francisco lawyer, he specialized in unusual litigation, including constitutional law. He argued three cases before the United States Supreme Court (including two First Amendment cases). He has taught First Amendment courses at the University of California at Berkeley for the past 33 years. Mr. Turner has published dozens of articles in various magazines, newspapers and law reviews. He is the author of Free Speech: Supreme Court Opinions from the Beginning to the Roberts Court (Cognella 2019) and of Figures of Speech: First Amendment Heroes and Villains (Berrett-Koehler 2011). Read more...

Free SpeechSupreme Court Opinions from the Beginning to the Roberts Court

Free Speech: Supreme Court Opinions from the Beginning to the Roberts Court is a curated collection of Supreme Court opinions on the topic of free speech. These opinions help students learn how justices think, reason, express themselves, wrestle with contentious issues, and reach decisions on them.

The book covers the first century of free speech opinions, from the classics beginning in 1919 to recent decisions by the Roberts Court, that address subversive and offensive speech, incitement to violence, obscenity, and the extent to which corporations have First Amendment rights. It features precedent-setting cases including Schenck v. United States (shouting “Fire!” in a crowded theater), the Pentagon Papers case, and Citizens United. The Revised First Edition (2019) demonstrates how the Roberts Court has increasingly used the First Amendment to serve conservative political interests.

Each opinion has been edited to eliminate unnecessary legal and procedural side issues and ensure accessibility for all readers. The opinions are framed by commentary that provides context and analysis to educate readers about the extent to which we have free speech and how the principles were established. Free Speech is well-suited to political science, history, rhetoric, communications, law, and legal studies courses, and is an excellent reference tool for legal practitioners.

For more information about the book, visit https://titles.cognella.com/free-speech-9781516538881 or Amazon.

Figures of SpeechFirst Amendment Heroes and Villains

Recounting controversial First Amendment cases from the Red Scare era to Citizens United, William Bennett Turner shows how we’ve arrived at our contemporary understanding of free speech. His strange cast of heroes and villains, some drawn from cases he has litigated, includes Communists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Ku Klux Klansmen, the world’s leading pornographer, prison wardens, dogged reporters, federal judges, a computer whiz, and a countercultural comedian. This is a fascinating look at how the scope of our First Amendment freedoms has evolved and the colorful characters behind some of the most important legal decisions of modern times.

For more information about the book, visit www.bkconnection.com, your local book store, or Amazon.